Trama Root Tea
by Octavia Delitian
Summary: Neloth escapes from Vvardenfell during the Red Mountain catastrophe and meets an annoying Bosmer on the way. Also, his whole world comes crashing down when he can't have his daily cups of trama root tea.


What a nuisance it was to have to evacuate Tel Naga. Furthermore almost all of the retainers were suddenly gone after the dream visions of the night. Neloth could really have used a dozen or so more people to carry his equipment down to the docks, but apparently they were too dim-witted to understand the importance of his research.

Wherever he was going, he would have to start over. Paper was light and ideas were of more important than objects, but he could only take with him as many notes and reports as Endar Drenim and Vares Reram could carry.

At least those two would not think of deserting him. Endar Drenim, his steward, was from a respectable Telvanni family and Vares Reram, a battlemage who had functioned as his personal body guard during all the years Gothren was alive, gladly kept lending him his muscle and services.

When they arrived at the port they found that the last ship was already leaving, and not another body could squeeze onboard. Heaps of desperate citizens were still on the docks, begging to not be left behind.

"Well..." Neloth growled, "those insolent bastards did not wait for their lord! There's no respect left in this world for the old and wise!"

Neloth had, wise as always, taken rings with strong levitation enchantments with him and suggested they use them to get to Vos, where they might get another chance to get on a ship. They got up in the air, leaving the cacophony of cries behind, and flew north west.

They had slightly miscalculated their course and had to land in Tel Mora rather than Vos when their rings were running out of charge. As they entered the village, the did not see any signs of life. No doubt it had been left behind because Dratha had managed to evacuate her few retainers all at once in a longboat. To their surprise a fishing boat was left behind.

"It will hold us just fine," Vares declared after inspecting the boat. "No holes in either the hull or the sail."

"Do you know how to operate this thing?" Neloth asked.

"I think so."

"Good! Let's get going!"

Suddenly there was a loud creak and they all twisted their heads to look at the source. A blond Bosmer girl peeked out from one of the house pods, her jet black eyes wide and almost grotesquely huge in surprise.

"Hey, what are you doing in my boat! I bought it from Liette fair and square before she left with the others!"

"Quick, raise the sail!" Neloth ordered and prepared to jump into the boat, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Master Neloth, we haven't packed any provisions yet," Endar whispered. "We won't make it long without water or food on the open sea."

"All these petty things to consider!" Neloth cried. "Well, do your steward things, but make haste."

Endar walked up to the Bosmer with a stupid smile and started chatting with her. Neloth turned his back on them and looked at the threatening form of Red Mountain. He stood there for quite a while, the dream images that Azura had sent flashing before him.

He really needed a cup of tea soon. He turned around, seeing that Endar and Vares were now carrying down food and other useful items into the boat while the Bosmer girl was grinning and seemed to size them up.

"Bosmer! Are you packing trama root? I shall need it for my tea."

"Yeah, I think I have some."

"Excellent!" He then turned back to look at the volcano, half hoping to find clues as to when it was going to erupt, until Endar announced that they were finally ready to leave.

"Sailing The Sea of Ghosts without a chart is dangerous enough on its own, why I recommend we now sail to Dagon Fel and then follow the northern Sheogorad coast westward to Ald Redaynia. After that, the waters turn less perilous and we should be able to steer towards Solstheim without incident," Vares said. Endar nodded in approval and gave Neloth a questioning look.

"Yes, yes! Don't bother me with these trivial matters."

"Oh, finally!" the Bosmer girl said and jumped ahead into the boat. "Actually I'm pretty glad you came after all, because I totally did not think about that I can't sail when I bought the boat and now my back isn't broken either from carrying all that stuff! Wow, I'm so lucky! And I'll probably _get_ lucky too because one girl with three men can only end one way really! Though Mistress Dratha said that men on boats turn to each other instead... but that's all out of desperation, right? Though I guess it would be fun to watch."

"Bosmer! You must shut up more often!" Neloth scowled and found himself a seat while Vares did his thing with the sail and before long they were actually sliding out of the Tel Mora docks at a good speed. The Bosmer was not shutting up, however.

When the sun was almost setting they found a little beach to land on for the night. Soon it would be too dark to see the dangerous, sharp rocks that threatened to rip the boat to pieces.

Endar and Vares crouched and drew a map on the sand, debating where they were and what they should do in the morning. Neloth was glad that they did not bother him with it.

"Where is the trama root you mentioned. I have need of it," he asked the Bosmer.

"Just a second!" she jumped up into the boat and soon returned with a guarskin pouch. "How much do you want?"

"One piece will be enough at the moment."

"That will be 100 gold!" she said cheerfully.

"What?"

"Prices always go up during disasters. Trama root will be a rarity after all the plants on Vvardenfell have been blasted! Next time you buy from me the prices will have gone up again because I have even less left in stock."

"No... no," Neloth rubbed his forehead. That damned Bosmer was a fool, but she was right! No more trama root – no more tea. _No more tea_.

"You will give me all your trama root. I'm not paying."

"Wow, I've been a trader for years but that's the first time I hear that!" She looked him up and down suddenly. Then she bent forward and plunged her hand into his pocket. Her forwardness confused him so much he did not move to stop her until her groping hand found his "pleasure staff" and started to squeeze it.

"Get your hand out of my pocket!" he boomed.

"Well, it seems you really don't have any gold on you," she said with badly feigned ignorance, because it was followed by a very indecent wink. "Maybe we can reach an agreement, though." She opened the pouch and took out a piece of root. Neloth could feel the scent and his mouth watered. Then the infernal Bosmer grinned and stuck it down her bodice. "You can get that one for free if you take it!"

Neloth, now completely baffled by her behavior, only stared for a moment. Only a cup of tea could soothe him after this, so he took a deep breath and stuck his hand down between her small breasts. This elicited a series of loud giggles from the girl, who did her best to rub herself against his arm.

When he finally found the root he could not help uttering a victorious "aha!" as he pulled it out. "Endar!" he said and turned around to look for his steward, realizing that the other two were already watching them and probably had witnessed the whole exchange. Neloth drew himself up to regain his dignity and ordered his steward to brew him some tea.

When he finally had his steaming cup he sat down on a smooth rock further away on the beach and thought about his future. His eyes fell on a large black anther plant. It made him remember that the abominable Gothren used to have tea made from the flowers, with spoonfuls of moon sugar to give it an extra boost. Neloth plucked a flower and inhaled its scent, immediately ruling it out as a suitable drink for him. It was too flowery and light, something a weak minded fool would prefer. No, he needed a strong, bitter brew to clear his thoughts.

Ever since Gothren died, Neloth did no longer feel his infernal joint pain and did not need the salves which had made his already short temper non-existing. Most likely that stealthy, backstabbing old fool had something to do with it all along. A curse of some kind? He had discovered the secrets of persmanent summons, after all. Maybe he had set a permanent spell on him, somehow, which defied any attempt to get rid of it until the caster himself was no more. Gothren had lived for pleasures and novelties, though, and did not leave behind much of notes or reports of any of his research. Neloth would never know.

Neloth looked down into his empty cup with a sigh and went back to the camp. There was a faint circle of light from the small fire, but he did not see a soul around it. Then he heard a muffled cry. Maybe Ashlanders had ambushed the others while he was away?

Neloth stayed back and cast a spell of night eye to gain better insight as to what was going on. Then he spotted his two men further out on the beach with the Bosmer, in the midst of a vigorous session of belly magic. Neloth walked straight up to the camp after this and lay down on a bedroll with his back to the scene, pretending that he had seen nothing. He really wished that he had not.

In the morning the Bosmer nearly ate for two men. Although she was far away from Valenwood she naturally went for the hound meat and shunned anything resembling a vegetable. Neloth ate the ash yam that Endar had cooked with the same indifference that he treated everything that went into his mouth save for one thing – tea.

After breakfast, Neloth was once again quite desperate for a cup of trama root tea. "Endar! Get some trama root from that Bosmer and make tea!" He would not make the mistake of asking _her_ again!

"Berwen!" the steward called and the Bosmer trotted up to his side with a pleased grin on her face. "Could you spare some trama root for Master Neloth's tea?"

"No, he'll have to buy it – today's price would be 200 gold a piece – or do me a favor."

"I'm not bloody paying your monstrous prices and that's final!" Neloth barked.

"Then you know the deal."

Neloth's nostrils flared. "What do you want?" he asked, like you ask someone who just walked into your house without knocking first.

"A kiss."

Neloth walked off, stopping in front of a kreshweed plant. He tugged at it until it yielded and its root came out of the wet sand. He carried the whole plant over to Endar and said: "Make tea from this root!"

Fifteen minutes later Neloth looked with remorse at his own breakfast, which now lay wasted in a pool on the beach. He was too nauseous to even crave trama root tea after this failure. He released the stone he had leaned against for balance and wiped his mouth. "Let's get going."

Later that day Red Mountain erupted. By then they were already just north of Ald Redaynia. Neloth watched the great pillar of ash rise, knowing that the real danger would be when it all came crashing down. There was still time to get as far away as possible.

As they came closer to Solstheim, other vessels, big or small, dotted the horizon and Vares made their own course similar to theirs. The sun was nearly setting when they landed in a large encampment. Apparently a village called Raven Rock was supposed to lie there, but Neloth could barely see the outlines of it for all the tents that had been built from disassembled ships that were no longer needed to transport refugees. No one would try to return to Vvardenfell now.

"No way, I need it!" Berwen suddenly shouted. Neloth had not heard Endar's more quiet voice over the bustle.

"You said yourself that you can't sail it," the steward said.

"I'll find a handsome Nord sailor, of course. And he will take me to Imperial City."

"But... that just can't be done."

"Oh, I beg to differ," Vares said. "It can be done, but she would have to round the coasts of Skyrim, High Rock and Hammerfell before she would reach Cyrodiil, where she would have to leave the boat in Anvil unless she wanted to actually take the boat all the way. In that case she would keep on sailing around Valenwood and Elseweyr and up to Lake Rumare. Quite an adventure."

Berwen's eyes shone. "A great adventure for me and my future Nord lover! Oh how perfect!"

_She really is remarkably stupid_, Neloth thought to himself.

"Or," Vares continued, "you can take the much more comfortable route via ship to Windhelm and carriage to Imperial City. It is less likely to cost you your life, too. You will need housing as well as we do before it is possible to leave, so I suggest you let me build a nice tent for ourselves."

"Oh, let her go! We don't need her or her boat anymore. A Telvanni Lord and his retainers shall not have to live under a sail and rotting planks!" Neloth said with conviction. "Besides, whatever my accommodation will be I will not share it with _her_!"

With that said he marched off and soon found a big house that must have served as a tavern and stepped inside. A group of grave looking Redoran nobles were bending over a map on the table and gave him a hostile look. "Greetings, fellow Dunmer. I, Master Neloth, Mage Lord of Great House Telvanni, have arrived. Now show me to your best housing!"

Neloth had to admit that the tent that Vares built was tolerable. He refused to think further about the outrageous treatment he had just suffered. No doubt the Redoran nobility felt cocky because they outnumbered any other Great House in this place. Why, Neloth was the only Telvanni master who seemed to have made it. That surely made him Archmagister, if not officially as there was no council to recognize him as such.

He would grow a new tower, and build a thriving community around it, preserving the ways of the House. A mushroom seedling rested in an enchanted pouch under his robes and in another pouch he kept the filled soul gems needed to make them grow. It was a matter of days to grow a tower of a tolerable size whenever he had found a good spot for it.

All he could do now was wait, and try to put up with the Bosmer. They had just finished eating a cold supper and were getting ready to go to bed when Berwen opened her belt pouch and took out a rather big piece of trama root, which she proceeded to bring to her nose. She inhaled the scent with a moan. Then, and Neloth should have seen it coming, she licked the length of with a suggestive look at him. When he did not react as she had hoped, she became even more explicit and started sucking on the end of it. It was quite obvious that she disliked the bitter taste of it, but she kept going and before long she was pumping it in and out of her mouth with a rather desperate look.

Suddenly Endar approached Neloth with a steaming cup of something with an unfamiliar yet interesting smell. "I bartered with a group of Nords who came last week from Skyrim to trade with the Skaal. They had something called canis root. I tried some myself and it is not bad."

Neloth sniffed the hot liquid. Not bad indeed. He tried some, and soon he smiled for the first time in many days. "Yes, this is a perfect replacement for trama root tea."

Berwen spat out the trama root with a disgusted sound and pouted. "Why did you have to do that! I almost had him!"

Neloth closed his eyes and took another sip. As long as he had his tea, nothing would stand in his way. The future was bright once more.


End file.
